Box 19, Folder 3, Document 15

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HOUSING FOR MINORITY GROUPS
$200 MILLIONS FOR WATTS==
FOR ¥HAT?

ANOTHER AND BETTER GHETTO???



The Los Angeles City Council has wianimously approved a plan for the develope
ment and rehabilitation of the Watts community and a 19-square mile section of

Southeast Los Angeles.

According to the Los Angeles Tines, "The aim of the plan, which provides a
framework for the furtherance af spesific projests in the area, is to bring about

a rapid economic and ‘visual rehabilitation’ of the city's master plan."

The plen calls for:

le <A three-cighths-of-a-mile pedestrian MALL along 1OSrd Street between

Compton end Wilmington Avenue.

2e The east side of the MALL to bo occupied by a 2ieacre shopping center and

the wost portion by a meccaks dental, and professional centor.
The plan inoludes:s
le A ce County Hospital.
2e Gardenetype residential Housing.
Se Parks.
4. Reoreation Center.
Se Enlargement of existing Public Schools.

6» <A new Civic Center.




Whet is wrong with the PLAN?

EACH SERVICE IS ENTIRELY SEPARATE FROM THE OTHER?



The separate GARDEN-TYPE residential Housing will presumably be safe from

being BURNED UP; but oan the samo be said of ALL OTHER facilities? ; |

The least discontent - tho loast Truo or Palse accusation against a shopkooeper

4n the MALL or Shopping Center « may spark tho ery "BURN, BABY, BURNS!"
In order to prevent disgruntled inhabitents of the aroa from:

Setting fires,

Looting stores and breaking windows of the same,

Dumping garbage into the streets,

Throwing Molotev cocktails from rooftops, and

Creating othor disturbances,
4t is of vital importance that all facilities (with the exception of the parks) be
integrated into the same "structure", as previously Gescribed, in order to prevent

fires and riots.

The struotural design requires a complete departure from all conventional

concepts of the past.

To put 16 in a NUTSHELL: ALL of today's existing buildings mist be considered

100% obsolete.

An ertirely new departure will provide not only better housing, but also better

services at less cost.

By "better services" it is not meent better services of one structure but of

the entire commmity.












Paramount among these is to obtain more efficient police end fire systems with

fower men, thus saving a good deal of money to the ‘taxpayers.

Today's system of garbage collection is dependent upon large trueks which slow

traffic in the streets.

In the now concept these trucks would be ELIMINATED, thus effecting a cone

siderable economy.

Where the housewife today places the garbage in a garbage can, in the future
she will dump the garbage into a chute (located in the kitchen) leading into a

main directly undernoath her habitat.

The somplex, which would include housing, schools, movie theaters, restaurants,

and coffee shops, would routinely be inspeoted by the Health Department.

Any serious’ sanitation offense would not only olose.the restaurants but also

any apartment that does not maintain proper sanitary conditions.

The Sanitation Inspeotor would be accompanied on his visit by a man (or woman)

of the Narcotics Squade

Tenants with criminal records, while they will not be excluded from residence,

will be kept under strict observation.

The DeVall consept will enable the police, for the first time, to police the
interior of buildings NOT on foot but on MOTORCYCLES or in AUTOMOBILES. As the
polise efficiency inoreases, the number of policemen ean be reduced, thus saving

the city treasury millions of dollars.




= 4

The novel design of the DeVall structuis will enable tenants to sun themselves
in spacious open-air sun patios. The tenants wili also have a MALL 2,500 feot

long; olinics, deotors' offices, and pharmacies will also be inoluded.

Supermarkets will be found next door to beauty shops, barber shops, and doparte
ment stores. All facilities could be reached by the tenants either by car or by

foot, or MONORAIL or buses.
Parking for cars will be provided in the same structure.

The roof of the structure will be used for housing depots for the MONORAIL

System and HELICOPTER BUSES.

Each square foot, with the exception of the open-toetheesun patio and the MOTOR

FREEWAYS, will bring a revonue corresponding to the location within the struoture.

Where the structure runs through factory areas, the: rent for apartments will

be commensurably low.
In more desirable areas the rents will be higher.
Welfare recipients will be in the least dosirable locations.

It will be an enoouragement to them to improve themselves in order to move to

better quarters.

The income provided by a multitude of tenants will be sufficient for private

enterprise to build on land which has been donated by the oity or state for 99 years.

The income from the structure will pay taxes like any other business, thus returne
ing the roads to the tax roll, where today they are exempt from tax and render poor

services.
Guy B. deVall
September 5S, 1966
Sas califomia
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